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It's mid-January, dark much too early, and 16 degrees outside. Seems like a good time for a tl;dr trip report.
Either that or I'll start a 'what's your favorite gas station?' thread. We can rank gas prices, whether they carry Rotella, and if you have ever been refused the key to the restroom because of your dong vest. Or you can read this.
Last spring my son spent a semester in Japan and my wife and I decided to visit him. The trip included a few days in Tokyo, visiting Kyoto, Hiroshima, and few other places by train. Best of all was a week riding an R1200GS in the Japanese Alps. Our trip was at the end of June, which is when their weather turns from rainy to hot. We had some rain and some heat, but not enough of either to whine about.
I've been to Japan for work a handful of times so I knew what to expect. It was already one of my favorite places, but I never had a chance to really explore. This was my wife's first trip. I'm lucky that she loves riding pillion and exploring via motorcycle. Most of our vacations include at least some time on 2 wheels.
We picked up the rental bike in Tokyo at Rushcorp. The night before we left, we met with Rodger, the company president, to finish paperwork, review the itinerary, and load the bike. I can't say enough about how great it was working with Rodger. A NZ ex-pat, he's lived in Japan for many years and is an avid motorcyclist. He knows all the best roads and is willing to share them. Plus he's an all-around great guy.
Rodger had programmed the GPS for the whole trip, including options for shorter/longer routes on a few days. The routes he selected were great. He also made the reservations for each night. The hotels included dinner and breakfast.
The trip started by following Rodger through Tokyo. It was raining a bit and traffic slowed as we reached the tunnels. We split lanes at a healthy clip, which was a bit nerve-wracking on new-to-me fully loaded bike. But I figured the bars were wider than the side cases so as long as the bars fit between the cars we'd be OK. About 30 min later, we left the tunnels and Rodger turned back to Tokyo. We were on our own. The rain stopped and we slabbed it for an hour or so, then exited the highway and pointed the beemer towards the mountains.
In the valleys, there are lots of small villages and the roads are mostly straight with long sweepers when running alongside a river. In the mountains, there are miles of switchbacks in some areas and many narrow, almost single-track, hairpins in the remote mountain areas. There are mirrors in most of the hairpins to check for oncoming traffic. Ignore them and it could get ugly very quickly. On the bright side, sometimes we'd ride for hours without seeing anyone.
Traffic is on the left side of the road, but I got used to it quickly. The idea of riding on the wrong side of the road is more intimidating than the reality of doing it. It's no big deal.
But these are mountain roads - rock walls on one side and steep dropoffs on the other, with occasional rock slides and gravel. You would not want to make a mistake here because you wouldn't be found for a long time. Overall, the roads are as good as any I've ridden, and better than most.
In this picture, my bike is in a small wider area to allow vehicles to pass. The road just ahead is more typical. It can get really interesting passing oncoming trucks on these roads.
The length of each day's ride varied. Sometimes we rode from breakfast to dinner with just a couple brief stops. Other days we spent a few hours doing touristy stuff like Matsumoto Castle, the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, and the Zenkō-ji Temple in Nagano. Then we'd ride.
The first night we stayed in a ryoken, which is a traditional Japanese-style hotel. It was like stepping hundreds of years back in time. The ryoken had onsen baths, which are pools filled with water from volcanic hot springs. Nearly all onsen baths are separated by gender, and there is a tradition for preparing oneself for a bath. It can be a bit intimidating the first time. But after a long day on the road there is nothing more relaxing than an onsen.
This is me after a long day riding in the mountains -
And me after an onsen bath
The Beemer outside the ryoken. Looks may be deceiving, this place was awesome.
We spent the next night in a monastery. That was cool, but it was so quiet that it almost felt like we were trespassing. After that, we stayed in more western(ish) style hotels. There are a couple of good hotel stories, but I shouldn't make this any tl'drer.
One of the best parts was the food. I love Japanese food. Before leaving for Japan, it was my wife's biggest fear. But she was always able to find something to eat and became more adventurous as the days passed. She drew the line at fish heads and raw horse, but if all else failed there was always a 7-11 nearby loaded with great pastries. Seriously.
A typical dinner -
When we were flying out, my wife mentioned that we should focus on doing as much as we possibly could fit in because this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. By the end of the week on the bike she was already talking about our next Japanese vacation.
If Japan isn't on your bucket list, it should be. And if you go, rent your bike through Rushcorp, you won't regret it. The plug is legit, there's nothing in it for me. I'm just a very satisfied customer.
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Originally Posted by number9
99 + 02 SV650 ex-race - 91 FJ1200 street - 03 KDX220R woods - 12 WR450F motard/ice
